FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
A Man and His Word
In the movie Hook, the dad, played by Robin Williams, was an incredibly preoccupied and successful businessman who was always missing his kids’ sports games and, well, family life.
In one memorable scene he promises to be at his son’s baseball game and then says to his son, “My word is my bond.”
It wasn’t.
He missed the game and had massively discouraged his son, who then goes on to give his allegiance to the consistently evil Captain Hook. When sons don’t have fathers whose “word is their bond,” they are susceptible to follow any man who will give them attention.
The movie ends really well and you should go back and see this 1991 classic. There are few better on fatherhood.
And few better on a man and his word. Our Lord addresses this super important topic for men in part of our text for this past week at FORGE that I just didn’t have time to teach on … here it is:
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Matthew 5:33-37
Ok you need to know that most Biblical scholars believe that Jesus is NOT saying that we men cannot take any oaths or vows at all, ever. After all, I repeated the Scout Oath for years every week and I took vows in my wedding and ordination vows when I became a pastor. I even promised to tell the truth when I was selected as a juror.
What Jesus is doing is attacking straight on the culture of lying that had developed in Israel. If a man swore by heaven or earth or even his head that he would do something he felt that if push came to shove, he wasn’t morally accountable to keep his word. If he had sworn in God’s Name he would have had to keep his word.
Israel was playing fast and lose with God’s law against lying. And that won’t play with God. It was hypocrisy to the max. God sees through it. It’s the antithesis of greatness.
Jesus is teaching us that the essence of godliness is wholeness, integrity, being who we are as God’s men all the time, every time, with all people.
Proverbs 20:25
It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only after making vows.”
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.
Grace makes men who know they can’t say yes to everything and can’t do everything. That we don’t have to say yes to something we really cannot do in order to get people to like us or give us worth because we said yes.
Our Father wants to make us men who think before the vow, pray before they commit, and count the cost before we say we will do it.
Jesus tells us that this is being a simple man in the best possible sense.
This is integrity. Wholeness. Greatness.
Like Jesus.
Let’s do life this way!
Pete Alwinson
